Arizona at Carolina: Playoffs a new experience for most of Cardinals roster

By Adam Green | January 2, 2015 at 6:15 pmUPDATED: January 2, 2015 at 6:15 pm

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals have not appeared in a postseason game since 2010, and only four players remain from the team that fell in New Orleans by a score of 45-14.

However, it may be a bit of a surprise to learn that just 11 active players on the roster have played past Week 17 in their careers, combining for 66 playoff games (35 starts).

From a rookie like John Brown to 11-year veteran Tommy Kelly and plenty more in between, the Cardinals are very light in postseason experience.

But, hey, you’ve got to get a taste of it sometime, right?

“It’s just an exciting feeling,” Brown said. “(We) just have to go out and make plays. It’s either win or go home now. The game is going to be a lot harder, more physical, so I’m ready for it.”

Kelly was drafted in 2004 and spent the first nine years of his career with the Oakland Raiders, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2002.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” the defensive end said. “Hopefully we can take advantage of it as a team and see how far we can take it.”

For postseason newbies like Brown and Kelly, there is a sense of what to expect come Saturday in North Carolina. But for someone like linebacker Larry Foote, who has appeared in 16 playoff games (including three Super Bowls), there is knowledge of what it is like to compete in a win-or-go-home setting.